Lettering instrument



0. A. OLSON.

LETTERING INSTRUMENT.

APPLlCATlON mu) SEPT. 1. l92l.

1,41 ,41 11, Patented May 16, 1922.

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Application filed September, '7, 1921.

T aZZ '10 7mm it may concern Be it known that 1', Osoan A. Orson, acitizen of the United States, and residentof Ames, in the county ofStory and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and usefulLettering Instrument, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of simple, durable andinexpensive construction, which maybe used by draftsmen to draw parallelguide lines for lettering.

More specifically it is the object of my invention to provide in adevice having a series of rows of symmetrically arranged openings to beused in drawing parallel lines, improved means for mounting the saiddevice.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the ob jects contemplatedare attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in myclaims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device. I

Figure 2 is a front elevation of same, showing it tilted to one of itspositions for drawing diagonal lines.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 1 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

My improved device comprises a disc 10, which is preferably formed oftransparent material such as celluloid, having its peripheral edgeprovided with an annular groove 11. This member is rotatably mounted ina frame 12, which is preferably formed of a single piece of wire. Thisframe comprises a straight portion 13, which is of a length considerablygreater than the diameter of the disc 10, and is provided with loopportions 1 and at its ends, the said loops being in the same plane andin the same direction. The loop 1 1 is provided with an inwardlyextended portion 16, and the loop 15 is provided with an inwardlyextending portion 17. The portion 16 is of a greater length than theportion 17. The portion 16 is provided with a curved portion 18, whichhas an outwardly extending curved portion 19 at its ends. The member 17is provided with a curved portion having an outwardly curved portion 21at its outer end.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 499,935.

The curved portions 18 and 20 are arched on substantially the samecircle as the disc 10. The members 18 and 20 are of the same curvatureas the disc 10, and designed to enter the groove 11, and are so arrangedthat when the said disc 10 is placed between them, the said members 18and 20 will have to be sprung apart a slight distance so that the saidmembers will enter and frictionally engage the groove 11, the saidmembers also being so arranged that one portion of the groove 11 willengage the inner face of the member 13.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the disc 10 is rotatablymounted in the members 13, 18 and 20, and frictionally held againstrotary movement by the resiliency.

of the loop members 1 1 and 15. The member 16, as before stated, islonger than the member 17, and the ends 19 and 20 are so ar ranged thatthe instrument may be tilted, as shown in Figure 2, with the members 15and 21 adjacent to a suitable straight edge, and when so tilted themember 13 will produce anangle of substantially 75 degrees with thestraight edge, and the member 13 used as a straight edge for drawinginclined l nes at an angle of 75 degrees with the base line.

By tilting the instrument to another posi tion, with the loop ldand theend. 19 adia cent to the straight edge, the member 13 will then assumean inclined position in the opposite direction from that shown in Figure2, and at an angle of substantially 68degrees with the base line,instead of 7 5 degrees. These two angles are the standard angles forthevertical guide lines of stand ard lettering.

F or drawing the ho izontal lines I have provided a series of openings22 in the member 10, and I have arranged these openings in rows, one ofthe rows beingin a diametrical line through the said member 10. andprovided with a series of equally spaced openings. 23.

These openings 23 are made tapering, as shown in section in Figure 3, sothat as the member 10 is held flat on the paper, a lead pencil point maybe inserted through said opening, and when the member 13 is placedadjacent to a straight edge the pencil may be moved in a parallelrelation with said straight edge, and a parallel line drawn parallel tosaid straight edge. When it is desired to draw another line parallelwith the first line, the pencil point is placed in another one of theopenings, and a like line may be drawn in the same manner and parallelthereto.

Thus it will be seen that by placing the pencil point in any one of theopenings 23, lines may be drawn parallel with the straight edge, and anequal distance apart.

For lettering it is usually desirable to instrument, I preferablyprovide a row of openings on each side of the row of openings 23, andparallel therewith, each 01 these rows oi openings being provided withgroups of: openings spaced the same as the lines above described, andone of the rows of openings being provided with a diilerent spacing thanthe other.

The instrument may then be used in the same manner as when drawingparallel lines, and when set shown in Figure 1, with the central row ofopenings 23 perpendicular with the member 13, lines of a maximum widthmay be drawn. When it is desired to draw lines closer together than theopenings in the instrument, all that is neces sary to do is rotate thesaid instrument within the members 18 and 20 to the desired amount, andthe lines may then be drawn as before described.

In order to readily ascertain the height of the capital letters, Iprovide a series of graduations 24-, extending substantially a quarterof the way around the edge of the member 10. A line 25 is provided onthe member 13, and is so arranged that when the instrument is set in theposition shown in li igure .1, the total height of the capitals willrepresent 10/32 oi an. inch or 5/16 of an inch. When the disc is rotateduntil the numeral 9 is even with the line 25, the height oi? the capitalletters, or the space between the two extreme lines of each group ofthree will be 9/32 of an inch, and when the disc is rotated until thenumeral 8 is opposite the line 25, the height of the capitals willbe'8/32 of an inch or 1/4 of an inch.

The character 3/5 is provided at the top of the column of openings atthe left of the openings 23, which indicates that the height of thespace between the intermediate and the lower extreme line drawn by saidopenings is 3/5 of the total distance between the upper and lower linesfor any setting of the disc; and the character 2/3 at the top of thecolumn to the right indicates that the ratio between the intermediateand the lower extreme line drawn by said openings is 2/3 of the totaldistance between the upper and the lower lines for any setting of thedisc.

By this arrangement, it will be seen tha a large range of spacings oflines may be easily and quickly provided by rotating the member 10,which is always frictionally held in its position by means of the springmembers 18 and 20'.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lettering instrument comprising a frame having a straight side andspaced oppositely arranged resilient members, and a disc rotatablymounted between said resilient members, said disc being provided with aseries of symmetrically arranged openings. 1

2, A lettering instrument comprising a frame formed of a single piece ofwire, having one straight side and two oppositely arranged circularportions, and a disc rotatabl y mounted between the said circularportions, one side of said disc being designed to engage the saidstraight portion, said disc being provided with a series ofsymmetrically arranged openings.

3. A lettering instrument comprising a frame formed of a single piece ofwire,

1 having a straight side and a looped portion at each end, each of saidlooped portions be ing provided with an inwardly extending portionparallel with said straight portion, one of said inwardly extendingportions being longer than the opposite inwardly extending portion, eachof said inwardly extending portions being provided with. a yielding,oppositely arranged circular portion, a disc having an annular groove inits periphery, the groove being designed to receive the circularportions of said frame, said disc being provided with a diametrical row01 equally spaced openings, and a parallel row of groups of openings,each of said groups being provided with openings spaced to representcapital and small letters.

Des Moines, Iowa, June 18, 1921.

OSCAR. A. OLSON.

